Commuter belter

I am considering a replacement car to use as a commute of around 110 miles a day plus some business miles say 28-30k miles per annum. At present I have a Golf MK 1V TDI 100BHP on an 03 plate approaching 120K miles. It has been very reliable and averages about 55mpg, if using motorways and cruise control it can be better. It will soon need a new cambelt and a major service. My daughter owns an R reg VW Polo that I may use in the scrappage deal as Volvo seems to offer a good deal at the moment nearly 25% off with the old car. I have been looking at the C30 Drive with 1.6 litre start/stop system which offers extremely good green credentials would this car be good in the long term and be capable of 150K miles and maintain its economy without major mechanical issues. What alternative would you suggest in this price bracket?

Asked on 27 March 2010 by G.H., Towcester

Answered by Honest John

Given the sort of use you propose, the C30 DRIVe stop/start should be a very good choice. And at 99g/km CO2, no VED to pay. But, driving long distances, stop/start won't occur very much. I averaged 55mpg over 8,000 miles in a Focus ECOnetic 1.6TDCI 110 (same
engine), so reckon 55 - 60mpg rather than over 70mpg. Experience is showing this engine will need a new timing belt and tensioner at around 80,000 miles. The world’s longest distance commuter (Irv Gordon) has managed more than 2,800,000 in a Volvo.

Tags: buying small family cars new cars scrappage scheme

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